The present study compares the robustness of two different one way fixed-effects analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models to investigate whether the model which uses a test statistic incorporating estimates of separate unequal regression slopes is more robust than the conventional model which assumes the slopes are equal. (Author/BW)

The regression-discontinuity design (RDD) offers the possibility of making inferences about causal effects from observations on selected groups. Data from such a design are considered to have a truncated bivariate distribution. For the RDD, maximum likelihood parameter estimation procedures and tests of hypotheses are presented. (Author/BW)

This article looked at non-experimental data via an ordinary least squares (OLS) model and compared its results to ridge regression models in terms of cross-validation predictor weighting precision when using fixed and random predictor cases and small and large p/n ratio models. A majority of the time with two random predictor cases, ridge…

In the social sciences, evaluating the effectiveness of a program or intervention often leads researchers to draw causal inferences from observational research designs. Bias in estimated causal effects becomes an obvious problem in such settings. This paper presents the Heckman Model as an approach sometimes applied to observational data for the…

Few issues have provoked as much controversy as the methods for detecting item and test bias. A recent illustration of the controversy surrounding this issue could be seen in the emotional reactions to the publication of "The Bell Curve." This paper reviews methods of evaluating both item and test bias. Small heuristic data sets are…

The ordinal regression method was used to model the relationship between the ordinal outcome variable, e.g., different levels of student satisfaction regarding the overall college experience, and the explanatory variables concerning demographics and student learning environment in a predominantly minority health sciences center. The outcome…

This paper introduces logistic regression as a viable alternative when the researcher is faced with variables that are not continuous. If one is to use simple regression, the dependent variable must be measured on a continuous scale. In the behavioral sciences, it may not always be appropriate or possible to have a measured dependent variable on a…

The influence of method of handling missing data on estimates produced by a structural equation model of the effects of part-time work on high-school student achievement was investigated. Missing data methods studied were listwise deletion, pairwise deletion, the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm, regression, and response pattern. The 26…

Variables that predict success on the Examination for Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) were studied, extending a pilot study that focused on one component of the ExCET, Secondary Professional Development (G. Poelzer, L. Zeng, and M. Simonsson, 2000). A representative sample of 87 preservice secondary education teachers was drawn from…

The multivariable relationship between interviewer predictions of future career plans of applicants to medical school and students' characteristics at the time of their interviews was studied. The study also sought to determine the multivariable relationship between students' stated career plans at graduation and their characteristics at the time…

Using eighth-grade transcript and questionnaire data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this study used logistic regression procedures to investigate the extent to which the probability of mathematics proficiency depends on the values of various background factors. The results of the analyses, which were based on a subsample…

Emphasis is upon the estimation and classical hypotheses testing of economic learning-regression models which may involve systems of equations, collinear regressors, interactions, and distributional effects, when there are errors in the variables and where measures of learning may be ordinal. (Author)

To appropriately evaluate the effects of the national policy of desegregation on racial attitudes, data from a national probability sample of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds were analyzed. The analysis indicates that, for both Whites and Blacks, desegregation is related positively to racial tolerance. (Author/PN)

An alumni-based model is proposed as an alternative to sports management curriculum design procedures. The model relies on the assessment of curriculum by sport management alumni and uses performance ratings of employers and measures of satisfaction by alumni in a regression model to identify curriculum leading to increased work performance and…

This study examined the reliability and validity of the Preference Inventory (PI) as a measure of adult creative potential. Capabilities of creatively productive persons include mental examination and manipulation of ideas, curiosity, need to create, and originality. Undergraduates' PI scores were significantly correlated with four other indices…